Six$Principal$Modes$of$Documentary$Filmmaking$
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(From: Bill Nichols, Introduction to Documentary, 2nd Edition, Bloomington:
Indiana University Press, 2010, as summarized by Sarah Childress, a Meridian
Stories Innovator and Artist)
Expository mode
The primary purpose of the Expository mode is to make an argument. This is the
model that is most often associated with documentary in general. The structure is
grounded in a series of assertions backed up by evidence. The assertions are
presented through verbal commentary from an invisible voice-over narrator,
while images provide the evidence.
Examples: any Nature or American Masters documentary on PBS, History
Channel documentaries, and older theatrical documentaries like The River, Night
Mail, Spanish Earth, Nanook of the North
Observational mode
This mode uses the observations of an unobtrusive camera to create direct
engagement with the everyday life of subjects.
Examples: Primary, Titicut Follies, Gimme Shelter, The War Room, Metallica:
Some Kind of Monster
Participatory mode
This mode emphasizes the interaction between filmmaker and subjects. These
films usually take the form of a series of interviews or other forms of even more
